Geisha watch kabuki in masks for annual outing

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:10 JST, December 6, 2022

Geiko and maiko in face masks pass the time in their sajiki box seats before the start of a kabuki show on Monday at Minamiza Theatre in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto. As part of the annual “Kagai Soken” event, in which geisha from Kyoto’s five hanamachi geisha districts watch kabuki to improve their knowledge of the performing arts, 80 geisha from the Gionkobu district watched the Festive Kaomise Production, which features major names in kabuki. Geisha from the different districts will take turns watching the production until Friday. Audience size at the theater is now nearly back to normal after some three years of limited capacity due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.